Objectives of the Action

This COST Action aims to:

coordinate efforts for advancing marine conservation in Europe and adjacent regions
help close the gap between research and policy in the European marine environment and contiguous regions
provide scientific advice and engage with policy makers and marine managers
develop novel frameworks and decision support tools to aid policy makers to optimize trade-offs (i) between conservation and resource use and (ii) between conservation costs and benefits
harmonise and integrate research outputs and develop new methods and tools for more effective marine conservation
increase European conservation science competitiveness by creating innovations applicable in European Seas and adaptable in other marine regions of the world
develop and demonstrate: (i) methods for the assessment of cumulative human impacts, including impacts of climate change, and its integration into conservation planning; (ii) methods for integration of land-freshwater-sea planning; (iii) a framework for transboundary cooperative planning; (iv) methodologies and tools for designing networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) that are more resilient to biological invasions
generate proposals for concrete conservation plans for specific European case studies
promote conservation principles and disseminate results to stakeholders, policy makers, and the wider public
develop resolution strategies to address conflicts in the use of marine space

The capacity-building objectives of this COST Action include:

to create a collaborative network of experts and build a critical mass to drive scientific progress in marine conservation
to bring together researchers from broad backgrounds and experiences to share scientific knowledge and achieve breakthroughs in the science of marine conservation
to promote geographical, age and gender balance throughout its activities
to provide new opportunities, especially for Early Career Investigators (ECI), and spawn new networks; by taking leading roles and participating in the Working Groups and through Short Term Scientific Missions, ECIs will be actively involved in all activities of the Action
to train graduate students and ECIs on relevant hot topics such as conservation planning, governance of MPAs, and analysis of cumulative impacts
to bring interdisciplinary thinking into conservation policy making, considering the complex political, social and economic nature of the continent and the contiguous regions
to establish strong links between scientists, stakeholders, marine managers and policy makers